& Other Stories Launch Party

Yep, another party. Last week was full of them and with Summer (allegedly) just around the corner there should be many more where these came from over the next few months. Thursday evening was a particularly hectic one with about eight different events taking place within the space of three hours. In the interest of actually enjoying myself and not breaking an ankle careering around town in my heels I decided not to attempt to attend them all. Having regrettably missed the launch of Banana Republic’s Mad Men collection due to an altercation with a dishwasher, my first port of call was Diesel’s Regents Street flagship where they were holding a get together to unveil their amazing new installation by Margot Bowman. After a hasty glass of something sparkling and a catch up with pals James Joseph and Merry Phillips of Stylenoir Magazine it was time to head to party number to, & Other Stories’ launch bash conveniently located just across the road. Rarely am I not excited by the chance to sip champagne while wearing something pretty and chatting with my favourite fashion friends but I was particularly looking forward to this particular soiree. As I’m sure you’ve probably heard, high street shopping mecca H&M recently announced the launch of their new premium (i.e slightly pricier but not bank breaking) brand, & Other Stories. Having spotted a few snaps of the promised delights in Grazia last week I was DYING to check out the whole collection and I’m very pleased to confirm that it is every bit as covetable as expected. We were promised clean cut Scandi cool with a fun, fashion forward twist and that is precisely what was delivered. Think Acne meets Whistles with a playful edge, pops of neon and perfectly placed splashes of sparkle. As well all know, great clothes alone do not a retail experience provide but a vast, two floor, homage to feminine minimalism that wouldn’t look out of place in Wallpaper Magazine most certainly does. Besides being a veritable emporium of sartorial delights, & Other Stories Regents Street store is one of those shops so lovely you could happily spend a whole afternoon wandering around it. Given the size of the place and sheer volume of stuff you’ll want to try, buy and never take off, just one afternoon probably wouldn’t be enough time.

Despite having a 20% discount on the night, I resisted the urge to shop. In theory my self-restraint was due to having learnt my lesson from the Prosecco induced Peter Pilotto pre-order incident but in reality it was purely empty bank account related. I definitely don’t need to tell you where I’ll be headed come pay day! Luckily I didn’t have too much time to sulk as this was evidently the hottest invite of the evening. Lara Bohinc, Julia Sarr Jamois, Mary Charteris and Portia Freeman were all in attendance plus fash eds from pretty much every major publication.

The fact I couldn’t stay long was both a blessing and a curse as I think one more look at their incredible marbled leather shift and I may have no longer been able to resist the urge to splurge. With great difficulty I tore myself away and dashed in the direction of Covent Garden to catch the end of Kate Spade New York’s SS13 launch.